How She Began
by fantasywriter24
Summary: We know River in the future, but what made her who she is? An exploration of Melody Pond's childhood before her first regeneration into Mels. Series of oneshots please read and review!
1. The Only Monster

**Here are a series of oneshots from when Melody/River was growing up. This is the first Melody before she regenerated into Mels. They begin when she's about four (before she was sent to live under the care of Mr. Renfrew in the orphanage).**

**I just thought it would be interesting to explore what little Melody might have had to endure growing up. I hope you enjoy. **

**Please leave a review. I'd love to see what you all think! The more reviews the faster more of these will come up!**

**Oh and I do not own Doctor Who. Sadly this brilliant creation is not mine.**

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"Melody Pond! If you don't get back here this instant I'm going to call the Doctor and then you will be in for it!" the sound of Madame Kovarian's voice rang through the house reaching the young ears of Melody Pond: the first Melody, before any of the regenerations. She was tucked away under a desk panting and looking very frightened. She couldn't decide if she was more frightened of the monsters she thought she'd seen or of the threat she had just been given. The Doctor was a scary man. She had been told stories for as long as she could remember of all the dark and horrible things the Doctor had done. She surely didn't want to run into him.

"Melody," the angry woman's voice prompted. Finally, coming to a conclusion on which sounded worse, Melody crept out from where she had been hiding and slowly made her way down the corridor and into the sitting room where Kovarian was waiting for her. The childish eyes were full of fear as they looked up innocently at the older woman. She stood in her over-sized white nightgown waiting for her punishment.

"What were you running from, child," Madame Kovarian inquired in a slightly intimidating tone as she crossed her arms and stared down her nose at Melody with her single eye. The other was covered in an odd eye patch which she never took off.

Fiddling nervously with the hem of her nightie Melody answered, keeping her eyes on the older woman. She knew she must never appear frightened before grown-ups. That had been one of the first lessons she had ever been taught-no matter how scared you were you must never show it.

"I thought I saw monsters, ma'am. They were so big and scary, so I ran. I'm sorry," she explained bravely, with only a hint of a quiver in her voice.

"What have I told you about monsters, Melody?" inquired Kovarian as she sat down on a plush and very expensive looking white couch. She patted the empty spot next to her as an invitation for young Melody to join her. Obediently the child trotted over and pulled herself up onto the comfortable cushion before answering.

"The only monster in the world is the Doctor and he must be destroyed," recited the little girl with a small grimace. She wasn't sure she believed what she had just said, but along with the scary stories of the Doctor this had been drilled into her brain for as long as she could remember.

"Very good. You are learning very well. At this rate you should be ready sooner than predicted," Madame Kovarian stated more to herself than to the little girl. For a moment there was silence between them as Kovarian observed Melody poking at a lump in the cushion. The child didn't notice, but the older lady appeared almost to be sizing her up and measuring her potential as she sat watching her. But then Melody suddenly looked up and Madame Kovarian wiped the look from her face almost instantly, replacing it with what could only be described as a rather fond smile.

"Madame Kovarian, will you tell me a bedtime story?" asked little Melody hopefully. She scooted a little closer to the imposing looking woman and looked up at her with big brown eyes full of expectation.

"Quickly. I have much work to get done, little one," replied the woman begrudgingly, "now come here." She opened her arms in a welcome for little Melody to come closer and she did very willingly. She snuggled up to the older woman's side and laid her head on her jacketed shoulder. The woman's arms wrapped securely around the child as words began to tumble from her mouth.

Such a scene was not one which was common in the Kovarian household, but a strange bond had grown between the young girl and the woman which meant on certain nights, if the wind was just right and the planets were at just the right angles happiness could be shared between the two of them. After all Kovarian had raised Melody from an infant and Kovarian was the only mother Melody had ever known. They may not be fond of each other, but a bond like that could not be ignored.


	2. Playing Dolls

**Thank you for all the readers thus far! I hope you are enjoying these thus far. Here is the second one. This is sometime after the first. (These will all be in order.) Another oneshot just displaying what Melody might have experienced as a child. Please read and review!**

**I don't own Doctor Who. BBC does.**

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Rubbing her eyes sleepily Melody stumbled down the hall, her sock feet making no noise on the thick maroon carpet. Her hair was disheveled and the brown dress she wore was crinkled and askew on her small frame. She'd suddenly woken from her nap and had heard her name being called. As always when she was being called Madam Kovarian was waiting for her in the sitting room.

"Good afternoon, Madame Kovarian," greeted Melody through a yawn as she made a clumsy curtsy upon seeing her guardian sitting on the couch waiting for her. Next to the woman was a prettily wrapped box with shiny paper and a pink bow on top. Seeing this woke Melody immediately. It looked like a present and she hoped it was for her. Madame Kovarian always brought the best presents.

"Hello, Melody," curtly replied Madam Kovarian. She wore no smile, which did not surprise Melody. Kovarian rarely ever smiled or looked happy or laughed. She was strict and stern. That is how Melody remembered her, always.

After Kovarian's greeting the two of them sat in silence for a moment, neither looking at the other. Melody was trying to refrain from asking if the present was from her and Kovarian seemed to be listening to something, but there was no one else in the room. With a nod to something behind Melody, Kovarian once more turned her gaze to the little girl.

"I've brought something for you," she announced gesturing to the box. Unable to contain herself Melody clapped her hands excitedly and rushed to the box, but didn't start ripping off the paper quite yet. She knew there would be a lesson or instructions to come along with the present. There always were.

"Open it. Then we will talk," instructed Madam Kovarian.

"Yay!" squealed Melody as she pulled the box off the couch and plopped onto the floor with it. Her small, dimpled hands began to quickly rip the paper off leaving a ring of shreds all around her. She loved when she got new things to entertain her. The house was so dull all the time that it got difficult for little Melody to keep out of trouble sometimes due to boredom.

At last all the paper was off the box and the bow was now hanging around Melody's neck. She pulled the lid off the box to find it full of dolls. She cocked her head curiously and pulled one out. It was dressed in jeans and a leather jacket and he head very short hair. There were girl dolls in the box too and even a little robot puppy.

"Oh look! Here's me! And you!" Melody dropped the doll she had been holding and pulled out a little girl doll dressed in exactly the same dress she was wearing and a replica doll of Madame Kovarian with the eye patch and everything. With the two dolls in her hand Melody's eyes moved to meet Kovarian's gaze waiting for an explanation of her new gift.

"These dolls are not only for play, Melody. These are to teach you what each version of the Doctor looks like and what his companions look like. There is a book at the bottom with the information in it. Every evening you will show me how much you have learned. Do you understand?" instructed Kovarian as she reached down and pulled out a small brown book which she handed to Melody.

"Yes…..but I can play with them too, can't I?" Melody asked hopefully. She had noticed in a corner of the box were little weapons for the dolls. It would be so much fun to make the little Melody doll vanquish each of the versions of the Doctor and his companions, but she liked the robot dog, so maybe she could make him come to her side…. Already scenarios for games were popping into her head and she was dying to being to play.

"Yes, you may play with them too. I will be back tonight and you will tell me then what you have learned." Kovarian stood, straightening her tight black skirt as she did so and began to exit the room. Melody hardly noticed. She was already immersed in playing with the dolls.

"Make sure she never makes the Doctor the good guy," Madame Kovarian said to something lurking in the shadows before exiting the room. Melody heard and looked up, giving a startled scream, but when she looked back down she had no recollection of what she'd seen, only a very uncomfortable feeling of nausea in her stomach.


	3. Roughing Up Her Edges

******Thank you to everyone who has been reading thus far! I really hope you are enjoying these. I'm really not sure because I haven't gotten any reviews yet and I would really love any and all whether it is praise or constructive criticism; it all helps! So please, please leave me a review and tell me what you think! It would be much appreciated!**

**Also...if you have any suggestions for what I could do with one of these little one-shots please don't hesitate to throw the idea my way in a pm or a review or whatever! I'd just love to hear from you brilliant readers in any form you choose!**

**Well, here is another peak into the life of little Melody Pond. Hope you enjoy! Happy Reading!**

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"But Madame Kovarian, I'm not old enough to go to school yet. I'm only four and three quarters," protested Melody as she was nearly dragged down the sidewalk by Kovairan who was looking very fed up with the child.

"You're a very smart little girl, so they are letting you in early," explained the older woman trying to keep her voice level and not display how thin her patience was at that moment.

"But, I don't want to go to school. The books at home are more interesting. You taught me to read ages ago. Why do I need to go to school?" demanded the little girl. She was feeling very disgruntled because she had been torn away from a very new stack of books which she had just begun the process of reading. All of them hinted at a strange man appearing and disappearing in a big blue box. At four and three quarters Melody was already smart enough to understand this man was the Doctor. Information about the Doctor had been being poured into her little head since she could retain memories, and now as she grew she craved any and all information about this man she had never even seen. She knew for a fact that at school she would not get drilled on the different types of shoes the Doctor wore, or what types of things his sonic screwdriver didn't work on. It wouldn't be anything interesting like that, so she didn't want to go and she was making it quite clear.

"You will do as you are told," hissed Kovarian as the school grounds came into sight. She gave Melody's arm a tight squeeze then began walking even further.

"You're hurting me!" squeaked Melody as she ripped her arm away and gave her caretaker a very angry scowl.

"Then behave! Or tonight you'll receive a punishment that will make you wish you had been a proper obedient child," threatened Madame Kovarian giving Melody an equally angry glare with her one unpatched eye. "Now, you walk the rest of the way to school and behave yourself. Do as the teacher says and if anyone picks on you make sure they regret it. You will meet me here when school is out. If you are a minute late you won't get any dinner." Kovarian's temper was short, so threat after threat came tumbling out of her mouth and mingled with the directions she gave the little girl. There was a definite pout on Melody's face as she listened, but she didn't protest. She knew what Kovarian's punishments could be like and she was not eager to get one.

"Yes, Madame Kovarian," reluctantly she agreed then began trudging off to school with her mittened hands deep in her coat pockets. It was two months past the first day of school and suddenly Madame Kovarian had decided Melody should go to school, but the little girl couldn't understand why. She knew what kindergarten was like and the things she'd be learning were things she'd known how to do for years. Why waste time on things she'd already learned? She gave a huff and began walking faster. The quicker she moved the sooner the day would go by, she hoped.

"Hey, shrimpy! Who are you?" an obnoxious nasally voice shouted from behind her. Melody turned to see who was speaking and to whom they were speaking to and found a spindly read-headed boy with an excessive amount of freckles running her way. She cocked her head and watched him, wondering who he'd been yelling at until he spoke again.

"Yeah, you, new kid! Your hat is ugly," he hollered as he came to a stop right in front of her. Before she could stop him he pulled off her bright red hat and threw it on the ground. With an evil smirk at her he stomped on it and ground it into the dirt.

"What did you do that for?" demanded Melody shoving him off her hat. She stooped to pick it up, but before she could he pushed her back making her fall backwards onto the sidewalk.

"What'd you push me for, Big Nose," he taunted taking a step toward her. Her little face began to burn with anger and she could feel the pink creeping into her cheeks and she leapt to her feet. Before he knew what hit him, quite literally, she's shoved him so hard he'd fallen on his backside then she'd jumped on top of him and pinned him to the ground. She didn't look very happy as she put her face right up close to his.

"Leave me alone," she hissed with such venom in her voice for such a little girl, "or else, sweetie." She wasn't sure why she'd said the last word, but it sounded cool and it seemed to make him a little more afraid of her. She then hopped up and retrieved her hat from the ground before flouncing off toward the school with her little nose held quite proudly up in the air. Perhaps school wouldn't be so bad after all if she was allowed to beat up boys all the time. She only wished someone had been around to see her…

Lurking in the shadows across the street was a woman with wild dark hair wearing an eye patch. She was flanked by two menacing creatures in suits and an amused smile was dancing on the corners of her lips. She had been watching and she had seen what had just happened. She smiled at the silent thought that her plan was moving along perfectly already. Melody would go to school, for now, until boys became no challenge for her. That's when Melody's training would truly begin.

"It seems our meek little Melody is growing into a fighter after all. She's got fire in her if I've ever seen it. Time will bring it out and this is the perfect beginning; a hard school to roughen up her edges. Then we will begin her true training," Kovarian murmured silkily to the creatures with her. If only Melody knew what would soon be in store for her.


	4. Nightmares

******Here is another update everyone! It's one to pull at your heartsrings a bit. It definitely pulled at mine while I wrote it. It's very emotiony and rather sad, but you get to see from little Melody's eyes how upsetting it is to grow up without your mummy. **

**So when you finish reading you should definitely leave me a review to tell me what you think. I always looooove hearing what my readers thing. It's pretty much why I do this, but if I don't hear your opinions, what's the point of continuing on writing. So...if you'd like more Melody one-shots please please please review! I am open to prompts too if you have any ideas for stories. Feel free to write them into a review or pm or whatever.**

**All right I should probably let you read now. I hop you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

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It was quiet and dark in the house as Melody stood on her little wooden stool in the bathroom brushing her teeth. She watched herself in the mirror, making silly faces at herself as she brushed. When she was finished she rinsed the toothbrush, put it in its little holder then hopped off the stool and out of the bathroom into the dark hall. She glanced around warily as she padded silently down it in her bare feet.

Melody never could remember why the hall frightened her so much, but it was her least favorite place in the entire house. It was so dark and there were so many shadows. She knew Madame Kovarian always insisted there were no such things as monsters, but she wasn't quite sure she believed her guardian. There was something in the back of her little mind telling her there were; in fact, monsters and she had encountered them here in this hallway.

As she neared her room she broke into a sprint that sent her rocketing into the room. She skidded to a halt just inside the doorway then slammed the door shut. She stood for a moment listening to her hearts pounding inside her chest and panting, feeling relieved she was out of the hall. Once they had returned to normal she made her way to the narrow bed in the corner and clambered up onto it then wriggled under the covers.

"Good night, Mummy," she whispered touching the framed photograph next to her bed. It was a picture of a small infant in the arms of a very pretty read-headed lady. Madame Kovarian had told Melody this was her mother. Every time the child saw the picture she felt an ache deep in her hearts for the parents she had never known. She wished she could go to them and live happily, but Madame Kovarian had said her mother had given her away because she couldn't take care of her. Melody wished with all her hearts for her mother to come back for her, but she knew it would never happen. "I love you, Mummy. Very, very much, even if you can't take care of me." There was a little quiver in her small voice as she said this.

After a few moments of staring at and stroking the picture of her mother, Melody turned out the lamp beside her bed and turned over to sleep. She clutched a raggedy white blanket, which was the only possession she owned which her mother had once touched. It was her baby blanket, the first blanket she had ever been wrapped in. With a little sigh she closed her childish eyes and let her mind begin to drift away towards dreamland. A dream began to weave its way through her mind of a house with a big blue door and a lady with red hair baking cupcakes, but before Melody could truly lose herself in the dream strange voices began to mingle with the sweeter tones of the woman's voice.

Stirring from her half slumber Melody opened her eyes and strained her ears to catch whatever the words were. The voices were haunting and made Melody shiver under her covers. She almost didn't turn around, but she decided she'd rather see what was there than never know and always be frightened of it. Maybe it was just Madame Kovarian trying to scare her.

Slowly she turned over to find her room was empty. She scrunched up her face in confusion and sat up in bed. The voices had been so close. She wondered where they could be coming from until her eyes fell on her closed bedroom door. Of course, whatever was talking was in the hall; the dark and scary hall. Clinging to her blanket for courage Melody climbed silently from her bed and stood on the floor of her bedroom staring at the door and trying to muster the bravery to go and open it.

_Melody Pond. _She jumped when she heard the scary voices mutter her name.

"What do you want?" she managed to squeak out as she stood with her chest puffed out in an effort to not appear afraid in case the source of the voice found its way into her bedroom.

_You._ _You must be ready sooner. You must train harder and learn faster. Learn to hate the Doctor. Learn to kill the Doctor. _The voices whispered to her through the door. Suddenly the doorknob began to turn and Melody looked at it with horror deep in her eyes. She had no where to run. She was trapped.

With an eerie creak, just like in the scary movies Melody watched even though they gave her nightmares, the door swung open to reveal something of nightmares. A tall creatures in a black suit stood reaching out of her with its large four fingered hand. Its head was large and bulbous with two dark holes where its eyes should be. Its skin was a sickly color and made Melody's stomach cringe. She opened her mouth wide and let out a bone chilling scream before throwing her hands up to cover her eyes.

Immediately she had no idea why she had screamed, but whatever it had been had scared her to the core of her being. She was so shaken up she began to sob uncontrollably. Her entire body shook with the violence of the sobs pouring from her mouth.

"Mummy! Mummy!" she wailed helplessly as she soaked her beloved blanket with bitter tears. "I—I—I want my Mummy!"

"Melody!" someone was clutching her shoulders and shaking her. Melody opened her eyes to find Madame Kovarian in her nightgown with her dark and wild hair framing a very disgruntled face. "Melody why are you screaming like this. Stop it right now!"

"I want my Mummy!" the child managed to choke out between her sobs.

"Your mummy isn't here. You can't have her. Now go back to bed," demanded the older woman feeling very exasperated at having to deal with the night terrors of this difficult little girl.

"Get out! You're not my mummy! Get out! I don't want you!" Melody began hitting Madame Kovarian with her small balled up little fists in a sudden fit of angry despair. She was too small to do any harm, but in an effort to not harm the child herself Madame Kovarian let go of Melody and took a few steps back. Melody ran at her forcing the older woman to continue to step backwards until she was in the hall allowing Melody to slam the door in her exasperated face.

With Madame Kovarian out of the room Melody ran back to her bed and flung herself onto it still holding tightly to the only remnant she had left of her mother. She could not remember why she had started crying, but she knew she was a little girl without a mother and she just wanted her mummy. She lay there crying into her blanket until she wore herself out and fell into a very unsettling sleep filled with monsters whispering things to her and making her do things against her will. All through the night her pillow was soaked with tears she shed in her sleep from the horrible nightmares pouring into her mind.


	5. Turning Five

**Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, and favorited thus far! I really do appreciate it and always enjoy hearing what you think! Also if you have any suggestions for one of these stories feel free to pm or leave it in a review!**

**Today aired the second trailer for season 7 and I am SO excited! If you haven't seen it yet, you need to. I promise you won't be disappointed. River makes an appearance in a fabulous hat!**

**Anywho...here is the story. I hope you enjoy and review. The more reviews the faster the next little story will be put up.**

**I don't own Doctor Who. Sadly. It's all the BBC and Steven Moffat.**

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She sat in the middle of the sitting room floor holding the Eleventh Regeneration Doctor doll and the Melody Pond doll. On her feet were a pair of bright red wellies and on her face was a look that could be defined as very, very unhappy.

"I'm going to shoot you dead, Mr. Doctor," she growled as she played a scenario of herself taking down the Doctor in what she had concluded was his very stupid bowtie. She scrunched up her little face into a very angry expression as she made the Melody doll stomp on the Doctor doll.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," she muttered before dropping the dolls on the floor and looking up at the clock. It was nearly nine o'clock in the evening and she hadn't seen Madame Kovarian once. She hadn't seen anyone. This wouldn't really have bothered her on a normal day, but today was her birthday. She'd begged and begged for a party and a pink cake with pretty icing flowers. She'd asked for a new toy blaster and new books about the Doctor. She'd nearly driven Madame Kovarian crazy with all of her babbling about her birthday.

"Who needs birthdays anyway?" She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the clock. She had decided that this was the Doctor's fault. Madame Kovarian was probably somewhere busy working on how to find the Doctor and that's why she had forgotten about Melody's birthday. The anger continued to boil in the child's small hearts as she stood up and began heading for the kitchen. She was getting very hungry and was tired of waiting for Kovarian to show up, so she decided she was going to feed herself. Just as she exited the room she heard a door slam on the other side of the house and heels clicking in the hall.

The child's face immediately lit up with excitement and all thoughts of the beautiful presents she would get began whirling through her mind. She turned on her heel like a top and sprinted back into the sitting room and smack into Madame Kovarian who did not look very happy about getting nearly run over by a five-year-old.

"Madame Kovarian! I'm so happy to see you!" squealed the little girl as she threw her arms around her guardian's waist.

"Get off me, child," ordered the older woman as she peeled Melody's arms off of her and set her at arms-length away.

"It's my birthday! I'm five today!" Melody announced proudly as she looked up at Madame Kovarian with her brightest smile on, but her face fell when she looked up to see Kovarian wasn't smiling, or looking happy at all. In fact, her expression was a mixture of impatience and anger.

"Melody, you aren't living here anymore. We're going to send you somewhere new. Go pack your things. Don't forget to pack all the gifts I've given you. They will be very important," instructed Kovarian, ignoring the announcement the little girl had made about her birthday.

Hoping to fish out at least one birthday present Melody asked, "Do you have any presents for me today?"

"No. Now go. I don't have the time for questions," barked Kovarian making the little girl wince slightly at the harsh tone. Her hopeful expression was replaced by the one she had been wearing before Kovarian had arrived, anger. Stomping to where she had abandoned her dolls Melody scooped them up and marched out of the room with a heated huff. She made her way to her bedroom and began to pack the meager amount of belongings she owned. She had four dresses, a nightie, and all the things Madame Kovarian had given her; all of which pertained to the Doctor. All of it, except the books, fit into the small suitcase which had been tucked under her bed. She managed to stuff the rest of the books into a backpack and slung it over her back. Tucked carefully under her arm was her special blanket.

Not even ten minutes had passed before Melody had returned to the sitting room where Madame Kovarian sat waiting and looking very irritated.

"Do you have everything? We will not be coming back," asked Kovarian quickly.

"I didn't forget anything," was Melody's certain reply. Kovarian gave a curt nod before stepping forward and taking Melody's hand.

"Come, we don't have time to stand around. Keep up." She set off at a brisk pace making it impossible for Melody to keep up without running.

"Where are we going?" inquired Melody hoping that the new house would be fun and exciting. Maybe there would be other children there. She liked playing with other kids. That was the only reason she hadn't made further protests against going to school. She really enjoyed the company.

"You will see. Now be quiet." Melody knew better than to argue, so all the way to the backyard she was silent. When they got to the backyard she was instructed to hold very tightly to Madame Kovarian's arm. The next second they were standing before a large eerie building with no lights shining through the grimy windows.

Melody inspected the lawn and the dark building before her and knew immediately that there was no way there were other children here, which made her so very sad. She would be alone again, like always.

"Where are we, Madame Kovarian?" asked Melody in her politest tone. She knew her guardian was very impatient today and would not want to deal with many questions. She would choose what she asked wisely.

"Graystark Hall. Your new home." The answer was short and dismissive. It didn't give any information Melody had been hoping for. She sighed and clung to her blanket wishing more than ever her Mummy was there. She was sure her mother wouldn't have forgotten her birthday or been this cross all the time.

Kovarian and Melody made their way inside the building, which was dark, cold, and damp. Melody was abandoned in the entrance hall with her suitcase and backpack while Madame Kovarian disappeared to the upper floors with a questionable and slightly insane looking man whom she had heard called "Mr. Renfrew."

Time seemed to not pass as Melody stood alone shivering in the entrance hall eyeing the cobwebbed corners and shadowed nooks warily. She did not like it here. She didn't like it at all and she did not want to live here. She wanted to go back to her old home with the warm glow of the lamp in her bedroom and the picture of her mum on her bedside table.

But she would be strong. She would be strong for her mum because one day she would grow up and then maybe she could go find her mummy and her dad. After she had gotten the Doctor out of the way, then Madame Kovarian would leave her alone. At that moment, in the cold dark foyer of the decrepit orphanage Melody would now call home she pledged she would absolutely kill the Doctor because then she could go and be with her mum; the thing Melody wanted more than anything else in the world. When she was with her mum and dad she knew her birthday would never ever be forgotten. She would never be forgotten

"Happy Birthday to me," she whispered to herself as a small, salty tear slid its way down her cheek, leaving a wet streak of wet despair in its wake.


	6. Weak

**Here is another glimpse into the life of Melody Pond. She is five now and living at Graystark Hall. This one is a bit shorter than the others. I feel like these are getting darker and darker as I write them, but it seems to fit her life. Things didn't start getting better for little Melody. They only got worse, but what do I know? You guys tell me what you think! Any and all reviews are appreciated. If you have an idea for one of these please let me know! Thank you to everyone who has read thus far and to those who are about to read now! Happy reading.**

**Sadly Doctor Who does not belong to me. It is all the BBC's.**

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Echoing around the vast room were the sounds of pounding footsteps, Melody's pounding footsteps as she ran lap after lap in what used to be the dining hall. Ragged breathes dragged painfully in and out of her lungs as she struggled to get enough oxygen to keep her small body moving. Beads of sweat were dancing down her forehead and her cheeks were as pink as was possible.

"Madame—Kovarian—can I—can I stop—now?" Melody begged as her big eyes fell on the woman standing in the center of the room watching her intently, studying her every movement.

"No, you are weak. You need to get strong for your task. Run faster," barked Kovarian as she glared disapprovingly at the young girl.

"I can't!" cried out Melody as tears began to prick at her eyes. Her legs were so tired, her body was so tired. She was close to completely collapsing on the floor if she wasn't allowed to stop soon.

"You will not be allowed water until you run six more laps faster than you ran the last six," replied Kovarian completely unphased as she glanced down at the stopwatch in her hand. At this declaration Melody let out a small whimper but did her best to move faster. Her little arms pumped at her sides and her wavy brown hair whipped out around her, sticking to her sweaty forehead and neck.

She was doing her very best to do as Madame Kovarian wanted, but it was impossible. She was so tired. She could feel her hearts slamming against her ribs as they tried to pump the less than plenty amounts of oxygen coming from her lungs. She didn't understand why Kovarian was doing this. Life had never been like this for Melody before. Kovarian had been harsh, but never this harsh. It had all began when she was taken to the orphanage. Madame Kovarian had told her that night before she'd left her alone with the delusional Mr. Renfrew that now Melody's training would begin. After a week of this intense, painful, and cruel training Melody was absolutely sure she hated it.

The only thing that kept her going was a certain photograph of a particular red-haired woman whom Melody never forgot to tell goodnight or good morning to. Now as she ran out the last ounce of energy in her body the image of the woman was there and it gave Melody the strength she needed to push herself around the last lap of the room. Her legs were shaking and her vision was getting fuzzy, but she knew she had to make it. Her own footsteps rang in her ears as she came upon the last stretch of her run. She soured over the line Kovarian had drawn on the floor with chalk signifying the finishing line. A second later she was a heap of limbs and sweat and tears on the floor unable to move, but Kovarian did nothing. She just stood over Melody looking down at her and appearing not pleased in the least.

"That was weak. You are a weak hopeless child. Next time you will do better or you will regret it. I want you to practice every day until I return." Before Melody could reply the sound of the older woman's heels clicking across the floor could be heard. She said something Melody couldn't hear to someone she couldn't see either. The voice of Kovarian was the last thing she heard before passing out from exertion. As her mind drowned in blackness strange, haunting words found their way inside.

_You will push yourself. You will train harder and become stronger. This is our plan._

When Melody finally woke hours later she found the sun was poking through the dusty windows of the room. She had not been moved. She was still lying on the dirty floor of the dining hall and sitting next to her was a single glass of water. In one swift motion she reached for the glass and gulped it down, but it did not even begin to quench the thirst burning in her throat. She looked around hoping for more, but what she found was not water.

Standing in the doorway of the room were the strange creatures. She remembered them now. They were what made her scared of the dark. There were two of them and propped in between them was the suit…the astronaut suit. Melody took one look at the scene and screamed.


	7. A Secret Sanctuary

**Hello everyone! Here is the next little story for my Melody Pond series. It's a little different than the others, I think. I hope you all like it anyway. I think it's cute. Please read and review! I really love reviews. They make my day. Also if you have any suggestions for these little stories don't hesitate to share! Happy reading!**

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The defiant eyes of Melody Pond watched the retreating back of Madame Kovarian as she left the orphanage. It had been a particularly difficult day of training for the little girl. It hadn't been like the other sessions where she had been made to run as fast as she could, jump as far as she could, or try to knock Mr. Renfrew to the ground. Today her mental training had begun and it had left Melody frustrated, upset, and rebellious. She was standing on the second floor, staring out one of the dirty windows with a face full of anger. And it was not the anger of childhood, which will disappear in minutes. No, this anger embedded in Melody Pond's hearts was the anger of warriors, royals, and worlds. It had laced its way deep inside the little girl and had taken hold. There was nothing in all of space and time which could uproot the anger and hate five-year-old Melody felt for Madame Kovarian.

Her guardian had disappeared from sight, leaving Melody standing and staring at the empty sidewalk in front of the orphanage. It was empty, always empty. No one came up here. This thought made Melody feel very lonely. Apart from Mr. Renfrew and Madame Kovarian, Melody never had any other human interaction. She longed for her old school where she got to laugh and play with other kids her age. She missed having friends and teasing boys.

Suddenly an idea popped into her head and she peeked around to see if Mr. Renfrew was creeping anywhere nearby. His office door was closed and there were no footsteps echoing through the hall, so she decided she was alone. This made a smile tip up the corners for her pretty pink lips. Quietly she tiptoed down the stairs, through the foyer and back into the kitchen where there was a backdoor which was never locked. Melody knew Madame Kovarian felt she was intimidating enough to make the little girl too afraid to try to sneak out, but was she wrong. The child felt no hesitation as she slowly pushed open the back door and stepped out onto the cool cement backstairs. With a careful look all around and a quick glance back into the kitchen to make sure Mr. Renfrew hadn't seen her, Melody leapt off the stairs and sprinted across the lawn.

A sense of release and freedom flowed through the child's body as the wind whipped through her hair and the grass tickled her bare feet. She was smiling broadly and had to force herself to hold in the giggles that were bubbling up inside her. She felt so happy to be free of Kovarian and Renfrew and all of Graystark Hall.

She finally reached the fence at the other side of the yard, which she easily vaulted with little effort. Her training had made taught muscles begin to sprout all over Melody's body. She was very strong and fit. Physical activity was becoming very easy to her. She was not even out of breath yet as she sprinted through the countryside over hills and hopping over streams until she found herself standing in the paddock of a barn surrounded by ponies.

"Oi! Where did you come from?" Standing on the fence and looking at Melody was a very confused looking little girl with a long blonde braid down her back and little brown boots on her feet. She wore a yellow dress with pink flowers and all around looked very becoming to Melody. They stared at each other for a moment, trying to figure out where the other came from. Finally Melody stepped forward to answer, but it didn't come out quite as eloquent as she had hoped it would.

"Well—I…um. I came from…nowhere. I'm Melody," she held out her hand, hoping the other little girl would come forward to shake it and not question what she had said.

"I'm Lily," the little girl in the yellow dress hopped over the fence and trotted up to Melody, taking her hand, and giving it a friendly shake.

"Do you live here?" asked Melody looking around with wonder on her face at the pretty picture before her.

"Yes, I do. And these are my ponies. Well, the little spotted one is mine. I call him Sassafras. Wanna pet him?" asked Lily as she pointed to a little brown pony with white speckles. Melody looked frightened for a moment as she looked between Lily and Sassafras.

"He won't bite me, will he?" inquired the brunette worriedly. This made Lily laugh and she took Melody's hand and led her over to the docile pony.

"No, silly. He's very nice, see?" She took Melody's hand and placed it on the pony's back. With eyes the size of saucers Melody stood petting the beautiful pony In no time the two little girls were talking a mile a minute, telling each other anything and everything—well, in Melody's care there were certain things she couldn't tell her new blonde friend, but she was happy to be there enjoying the outside air and companionship. The two became instant friends. Melody was so glad to have another little girl around to play with.

She knew she couldn't stay on that pretty little farm forever, as much as she wanted to, so after an hour or two had passed she turned to trudge back to Graystark Hall, but now she had a secret, a happy secret to think about when things were particularly bad with Madame Kovarian. Here in this place with the little blonde girl in the yellow dress would be Melody's secret sanctuary where she could disappear to when the darkness of the orphanage weighed too heavily on her small shoulders. In the dim grayness of her life was now a splotch of happy yellow.


	8. Defiance

**It's been very interesting for me to sit and watch the progression of these stories. Has it been the same for you? Let me know in a review. I really would appreciate it. Here is the next blip in Melody's life from my brain. I hope you enjoy. If you did let me know in a review. If you didn't well-let me know that too.**

**If you've got any ideas for one of these stories leave it in a review or a pm. I'd love to hear it and possibly use it in one of these...are you getting the 'leave a review' theme yet? Anywho...(not to be confused with Doctor Who...)**

**Happy Reading!**

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Shout ran through the household accompanied by the sound of a child's feet thumping down floor after floor of stairs. The scene was Melody Pond running through the halls of Graystark Hall away from a very angry Madame Kovarian. At first the older woman had tried to catch the little girl, but Melody was much too fast. Instead, Kovarian had taken to standing at the railing of the second floor and shouting at the top of her lungs at both Melody and Mr. Renfrew whom she had delegated the task of catching the misbehaving child.

"Melody Pond, you will do as I say!" growled Madame Kovarian as she looked up to where she heard the child bounding up to the third floor. A little defiant face poked over the railing of floor three.

"No, I won't!" was the obstinate answer of the five-year-old whose footsteps could be heard once more running away from the clumsy and half crazed figure of Mr. Renfrew who was muttering to himself as he sauntered down the hall after Melody. She zipped down a corridor and down the back staircase to appear in the foyer while Mr. Renfrew still blundered around on the third floor.

"I will punish you, you wretched child!" screeched Madame Kovarian as she glared down at the little girl who was standing with her hands on her hips and an angry, pinched expression on her freckled face.

"You're not my Mummy!" shouted back little Melody before she disappeared down another hallway due to Mr. Renfrew appearing on the stairs in hot pursuit. Feeling completely fed up with the whole affair Madame Kovarian hissed then turned and walked up to the third floor and disappeared into the old dormitory. When she returned she was flanked by three, as Melody would describe them, monsters. They hissed and sucked at the air as they began to creep down the stairs in search of Melody.

"Get the child and bring her to me," Madame Kovarian told them, but they had already disappeared into one of the corridors. A child's scream rang through the orphanage followed by the monsters returning to the foyers with Melody struggling between them. Her legs were flailing and her small body was wriggling fiercely all in an effort to get free, but there was no use. The creatures were too strong. Slowly, demurely, Madame Kovarian descended the steps to stand before Melody. When she reached the child she bent down, so they were face to face. Her long nailed hand shot out and grabbed Melody's face to keep the child's gaze fixed on Kovarian's less than amused face.

"You listen to me right now, Melody Pond. I may not be your mother, but I am the closest you will ever get. You will never meet your mother, so you be thankful for what you have. And the next time I tell you to do something, you listen to me. Or there will be consequences." Kovarian released Melody and straightened up, but before turning to leave she pulled back her arm and slapped the child right across the face, turning the tender cheek the color of anger—red. Melody felt the deep sting, but she did not flinch. She only glared at Kovarian and hated her with every cell of her small body.

"I hate you," she spat.


End file.
